Holiday Hand-Made Gift Giving: New & Notable Non-Fiction

The overwhelming success of online shopping has been a welcome convenience for so many of us—especially those who work all day.  But I doubt I’m the only one who sometimes finds the holiday season lacking in the sentiment and tradition I’ve managed to idealize in my memory but usually can’t reproduce.  This isn’t about trying to live up to magazine-perfect ideals, but rather simply restoring and sharing a semblance of goodwill and comfort.  Sometimes we need to slow down to remember what really matters to us and how we’d like to express our love to family and friends.  I truly believe we don’t need fabulous artistic abilities to find a way to make a gift that will not only be appreciated, but that can be enjoyed for the whole year.  And, the great part is, in the making of gifts to share we re-gain our connection with home-spun, less-hurried moments during the holiday season that might really give us what we all want: peace and joy.  Take a look at some of these titles and see if any inspire you to create a new memory or tradition for your family or friends. 

p.s. – If you’ve already traveled this path and have a “hand-made” book recommendation we might add to our collection, I’d love to hear about it.  

 DIY Aromatherapy Holiday Gifts by Rose Michaels

 Wood Pallet Wonders: DIY Projects for Home, Garden, Holidays and More by Becky Lamb

 Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter by Alison Hansel

Handmade Gifts From the Kitchen by Alison Walker

 Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

 Bound: Over 20 Artful Handmade Books by Erica Ekrem

 Knitting Without Needles by Anne Weil

 How to Make Resin Jewellery by Sara Naumann

 Sew Many Gifts by Karen M. Burns

 The Art of Stone Painting by F. Sehnaz Bac

 Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Crafts 2018

 Lotta Prints: How to Print With anything From Potatoes to Linoleum by Lotta Jansdotter

 Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style by Lotta Jansdotter

New Uses For Old Books: The Book Safe

Posted by Alana T.

I have always loved the idea of book safes.  The idea of having a secret hiding spot - in a book no less - has long been a fascination.  Over the years, I've tried many times to make the type of safe that has a section cut out of the pages, but the technique is more difficult that you might imagine.  Each cut has to be perfectly aligned with previous ones and and the process eats craft blades for dinner. I always gave up after about 30 pages.

This example is quite a bit simpler and faster.  Maybe not as elegant, but so easy, you can whip up a bunch in an evening.  Kids can help with many steps, but supervision is necessary for steps including the box cutter and gluegun.  These make fantastic gift boxes, too!

To make each book safe, you will need two old books (one for the safe & one slightly smaller for the interior), a box cutter with extra blades, a metal ruler, hot glue and gluegun, a strip of muslin or other lightweight cloth, white glue and a paintbrush.  Total working time is about an hour.  To print or download the instructions, click here.

If you're looking for other holiday crafts using recycled books, visit our previous winter projects: an elegant wreath and classy gift bows.

The Crafter's Reference Library

Posted by Coventry Crafters (our EPL crafting group) and Staff

As the weather cools, many people begin to think of crafting as a way to spend chilly nights or create unique holiday gifts.  Whether you are a beginner or experienced creative person, we can help you find the info you need to plan and execute your next project.  Listed below are some of our favorite books covering a variety of skills and levels of expertise.  For a great list of non-fiction knit-lit, jump to our previous post.  And as always, if you have questions, please let us know - we'll do our best to help, even if it means simple knitting lessons.

Socks From the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns From Wendy Knits by Wendy Johnson.  Shows it all with lots of pattern and style choices.

Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book  Tons of basic stitch patterns and it tells you everything you need to know for a project.

Anything by Barbara Walker, including A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.



You Can Paper Piece by Carol Doak (available through interlibrary loan).  A great beginner's 'how-to" for quilting

Teach Yourself Visually Crochet by Cecily Keim.  Step by Step instructions with pictures to help guide you; also available for knitting, sock knitting, handspinning, beading, sewing, hand-dyeing, and circular knitting.

Crochet Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden.  Lots of great crochet stitches - beginner to expert levels.



Hand-dyeing Yarn and Fleece by Gail Callahan.  An excellent beginner dyeing how-to instructions for a variety of techniques using dyes from food coloring to more professional types.

Beads, Buttons and Bijoux by Nathalie Delhaye.  Super simple and elegant designs for rings, necklaces and bracelets made from beads and buttons.

Beautiful Button Jewelry by Susan Davis.  Elegant, classy and unique ways to use the buttons in your button jar.

craftsy.com - free and paid craft classes on-line.

Non-Fiction Knit Lit

Gustave Caillebotte, Portraits a la Campagne, 1876

Posted by Staff

Many of us on staff are avid knitters or crocheters.  As much as we like to work with yarn, we also appreciate great books about working with yarn.  Following are some of our favorites:

Amanda E.:
Knitting Without Tears by E. Zimmerman.  Very laidback comforting approach to knitting.
Treasury of Knitting Patterns by B. Walker.  Classic stitch dictionary and great ideas for when you're in a rut or want to tap into traditional aspects of knitting.

Mary M.:
Stich 'n Bitch : The Knitter's Handbook by D. Stoller  Incredibly helpful book with great tips and clear instructions.
Weekend Hats: 25 Knitted Caps, Berets, Cloches and More by C. G. MacDonald.  Great variety of different hats with easy to follow patterns.

Susan C.:
Hip Knit Hats: 40 Fabulous Designs by C. Carron.  I used the basic watchcap pattern; so classic!  There are a lot of others I'd like to try.

Dani G.: 
The Happy Hooker: Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet by D. Stoller.  Puts a great spin on crochet with easy to follow instructions.
Knitting Without Tears (see link above).  I will have to second this one.  You just gotta love this woman!
Knitting Rules! by S. Pearl-McPhee.  If you want a good laugh (and I mean out loud) along with some good tips, direct yourself to the yarn harlot.
The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by C. Ekarius.  If you are geeked out about this book, you might be in a little too deep.  No worries!  I never tiere of looking at this one.

Mason S.:
Hat Heads by T. Anfinnsen.  50 sock hat patterns.  I'm certain you'll find one to love.
KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects by Knitting's New Wave by S. Gschwandtner.  Interviews with knitting's avanat-garde.  If you would like to knit a 10 foot teddy bear out of fiberglass insulation, the pattern is here.
Simple Kniting by E. Knight.  It can be difficult to find good men's knitting patterns.  Ive found more useable patterns in this book than in any 'for guys' book.

Alana T.:
Loop-d-Loop Crochet by T. Durham.  A great re-evaluation of crochet for modern designs; nothing 70's-esque.  The catherine wheel wedding dress is a stunner!  (The knitting book is great, too).
300 Crochet Stitches and 220 More Crochet Stitches.  Good stitch dictionaries to help the design process.  The only downside is these books don't use international stitch diagrams (darn!).
More Sensational Knitted Socks by S. Schurch. I am an avid sock knitter.  This book (and the original) are the best about the topic I've found.  No matter if you want to knit toe-up, cuff-down, multi-stranded or one color, lace, with short row heels or someother, you will find out how to knit the socks you want to make.

New Uses for Old Books: A Holiday Wreath

An old book gets a new life as a lovely wreath

Posted by Alana T.

Looking for a fun, simple, inexpensive holiday project?  This handmade wreath is all of those things, and easy enough to do with the kids.  Searching online for wreath ideas brings up all kinds of things made with books, but I think this is the simplest (and loveliest!).  The final wreath can be embellished with ribbons, flowers, or paint, but looks fantastic by itself.  It is very lightweight and easy to hang anywhere inside the house.

To make a wreath, you will need a large cardboard box, an old book, white glue, hot glue and gluegun, and a 12" length of ribbon (for hanging).  Total working time is about two hours, but that includes about an hour for glue to dry during intermediate steps. For complete instructions, download the pdf file here.

If you're looking for another holiday craft using book pages, revisit last year's project.  These bows take a bit of time to make, but they are simple and can be re-used year after year.

Small Steps to Going Green in 2011

James Jacques Joseph Tissot, HolyDay (orThe Picnic), 1876
 No plastic sandwich bags in sight!

Posted by Carrie K.

Every day, more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches wind up in landfills in the U.S.  Let’s do a little math…that is 100 million per week. Amazing! Frightening!  A few bags too many, no? So, you may be thinking, “What can I do about it?” Let me share. Say “No!” to plastic sandwich bags and invest in reusable bags! 

Just as many of us have made the switch from plastic shopping bags to reusable cloth bags, let’s do the same with sandwich bags.  There are many online sources available where bags can be purchased. If, however, you are so inspired you can make your own bags out of recycled fabrics.  The possibilities for fun & unique bags are endless. 

Not sure what to do? Follow this tutorial & help keep bags out of landfills! 
http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/03/tutorial-recycled-reusable-sandwich-bag.html

For more ideas on upcycling and recycling clothing at home, try these books:

Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed and Organic Materials by Betz White

Quilting for Peace by Katherine Bell

Little Green Dresses: 50 Orginal Patterns for Repurposed Dresses, Tops, Skirts and More by Tina Sparkles

Hand-Me-Ups: Recrafting Kids' Clothes With Easy Techniques and Fun Designs by Lorine Mason


For tasty lunch ideas for your new cloth bags, try these books:

The School Lunchbox Cookbook by Miriam Jacobs

Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann

The Brown Bag Lunch Cookbook by Miriam Jacobs

Spread the love: Unique Valentines from old books

Posted by Alana T.

V -Day is just around the corner - are you prepared?  If not, we have a project to get you ready and it reuses old books (no library books please!).  The project is a bit time consuming, but super simple and appropriate for kids.

The oversize conversation hearts are made of paper mâché. Depending on the materials you have at home, you can make your hearts any size, paint, write upon, or decoupage them.  Be creative!  The hearts are lightweight and sturdy and can be enjoyed for years if they are stored in a dry place.

Click here for a down-loadable tutorial.

A New Use for Old Books

 Posted by Staff

Looking for a unique and beautiful holiday craft?  Do you have a stack of old books sitting around?  Are you an avid recycler?  If your answer to these questions is yes, yes, and yes, then we've found the project for you.

Kusudama (literal translation from Japanese is medicine ball) are paper spheres created from multiple, identical units.  You can certainly make enough units to create a ball, but 1/2 of a ball makes a beautiful paper bow.

Making these lovely holiday bows takes a bit of time (about 1 hour start to finish), but if you have a group of people working together, you can reduce the time commitment substantially.  The process is simple and kids can help (or even do most of the work!). 

For each bow you will need 30 squares of paper (cut from old books), white glue, and large paper clips (optional, but very helpful).  The process requires you to fold and glue each square into a petal shape.  Five petals are glued together to make a flower, then the six flowers are glued to make the bow.  Detailed instructions with photos are available here. The final bow is very sturdy and can be re-used easily.

For another variation of the petal, visit the Folding Trees blog.